_THE LAKE SHORE SERIES._
1. _THROUGH BY DAYLIGHT_; or, The Young Engineer of the Lake
Shore Railroad.
2. _LIGHTNING EXPRESS_; or, The Rival Academies.
3. _ON TIME_; or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer.
4. _SWITCH OFF_; or, The War of the Students.
5. _BRAKE UP_; or, The Young Peacemakers.
6. _BEAR AND FORBEAR_; or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga.
_THE LAKE SHORE SERIES._
SWITCH OFF;
OR,
THE WAR OF THE STUDENTS.
BY
OLIVER OPTIC,
_Author of “Army and Navy Stories,” “Great Western Series,” “Onward
and Upward Stories,” “Woodville Stories,” Famous “Boat-Club
Series,” “The Starry-Flag Series,” “Young America
Abroad,” “Lake-Shore Series,” “Riverdale Story-Book,”
“Yacht-Club Series,” and “The
Boat-Builder Series.”_
BOSTON
LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
10 MILK STREET
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by
WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court
of the District of Massachusetts.
Copyright, 1897, by Alice Adams Russell.
_All Rights Reserved._
SWITCH OFF.
TO
MY YOUNG FRIEND
“_DOWNSEY_”
_This Book_
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.
PREFACE.
“SWITCH OFF” is the fourth of THE LAKE SHORE SERIES, and was one of
the serials which appeared in Oliver Optic’s Magazine. Its principal
incidents relate to the students of the Toppleton Institute, among whom
the war indicated on the title-page occurred. The story is told by one
of the young men, who is a prominent actor in the events he narrates.
Tommy Toppleton again appears, and is even more overbearing and
tyrannical than before; but the reader will be willing to congratulate
him, at the end, upon the happy influence of all his trials and
troubles on his character, and, perhaps, be better prepared to believe
that “oft from apparent ills our blessings rise.”
It has been the purpose of the author in this volume still further to
illustrate the precept of the gospel, “Love your enemies;” and the
conduct of Ned towards his defeated and mortified enemy is earnestly
recommended as a safe rule for life. The manner in which peace happened
to be made between the rival Institutes has always been found to work
quite as well in actual experience as in the story.
_Harrison Square, Mass._,
August 24, 1869.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGE
READY FOR A START. 11
CHAPTER II.
ON THE MARCH. 21
CHAPTER III.
MAJOR TOMMY UNHORSED. 31
CHAPTER IV.
THE BATTLE AT THE FARM-HOUSE. 41
CHAPTER V.
TO OBEY, OR NOT TO OBEY. 51
CHAPTER VI.
THE BATTLE IN THE WHEAT FIELD. 62
CHAPTER VII.
TOMMY YIELDS A POINT. 72
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FIRE IN THE FARM-HOUSE. 82
CHAPTER IX.
THE QUESTION OF RATIONS. 93
CHAPTER X.
WHO THE CRAZY MAN WAS. 104
CHAPTER XI.
IN THE WILD REGION. 114
CHAPTER XII.
BEFORE HIGH BLUFF. 124
CHAPTER XIII.
A SURVEY OF THE SITUATION. 135
CHAPTER XIV.
SERGEANT HACKER’S VISIT. 147
CHAPTER XV.
A STRATEGIC MOVEMENT. 157
CHAPTER XVI.
THE PINE TREE BRIDGE. 168
CHAPTER XVII.
THE FIRST BALLOT. 179
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE SECOND BALLOT. 190
CHAPTER XIX.
HEALING THE BREACH. 200
CHAPTER XX.
TOMMY TOPPLETON IN TROUBLE. 211
CHAPTER XXI.
CHRISTY HOLGATE. 222
CHAPTER XXII.
THE PENITENT. 233
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE ATTIC CHAMBER. 243
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE DISASTER ON THE WHARF. 253
CHAPTER XXV.
LET US HAVE PEACE. 265
CHAPTER XXVI.
TOPPLETON TRIUMPHANT. 276
SWITCH OFF;
OR,
THE WAR OF THE STUDENTS.
CHAPTER I.
READY FOR A START.
“Order--arms!” said Major Tommy Toppleton, mounted on his sorrel pony,
and facing the battalion formed of the students of the Toppleton
Institute.
The butts of the light muskets clanged in unison on the gravel walk,
where the column was drawn up. It was early on Monday morning, and
the young soldiers were in excellent spirits--better than they were
likely to be at a later hour in the day, for the programme included a
fatiguing march. On the road leading from the Institute grounds stood
three wagons, each drawn by two horses, upon which were loaded the
baggage, provisions, and camp equipage of the battalion.
At the head of the column was the students’ band of ten pieces, besides
a drum corps of eight, and two fifers. Signor Perelli, our music
teacher, had bestowed incredible care and pains upon these amateur
musicians, and those who were competent judges declared that the result
was highly creditable to his skill and perseverance. In other words,
the band played very well, though it did not undertake to compete with
Gilmore, Strauss, Jullien, or even with the Ucayga Cornet Band. The
drum corps was a perfect success, for most of its members had been in
practice over a year.
Not a few of the people of Middleport had gathered in front of the
Institute to witness the parade, for the occasion was no ordinary one,
and the programme of the battalion had been thoroughly discussed for
weeks. In years before the students had camped out during the June
vacation. During the preceding season the Toppletonians had pitched
their tents on the Horse Shoe, where the famous battles between the
rival academies had taken place, as my friend Captain Wolf Penniman
has related in his story.
Camping out had become rather stale with the students, and they longed
for a new sensation. If they could have encamped on the Horse Shoe,
and had another conflict with the Wimpletonians, perhaps it would have
satisfied them. But there was no prospect of any sport of this kind,
for Waddie Wimpleton, the haughty untamed, and tyrannical, was as
mild and gentle as a lamb. It was said among the fellows that he had
experienced religion, or something of that sort. It was certain he was
not the boy he used to be. He had voluntarily resigned his positions
as president of the Steamboat Company and major of the battalion.
Though Ben Pinkerton was commander of the forces on the other side of
the lake, it was supposed that Waddie’s influence as a peacemaker was
sufficient to control the movements of the troops, and prevent them
from engaging in another conflict with the fellows on our side of the
lake.
Besides, there was another circumstance which seemed to interfere to
keep the peace between the boys of the two Institutes. A military
gentleman, residing at Ucayga, had become interested in the two
battalions of juvenile soldiers, and had offered a prize of a
magnificent standard to the one which should excel the other in company
and battalion drill. With the vanity natural to boys, each party
believed that all the skill and precision was upon its own side, and
both had accepted the invitation to drill for the banner. This great
event was to come off on the following Friday morning at Centreport.
The place had been fixed by lot; and, when the arrangement had been
completed, it suggested the present movement of our battalion.
The Toppletonians did not care to encamp at any point near enough to
Centreport to enable them to keep their engagement, and when Captain
Briscoe jocosely proposed that the little army should march round to
the other side of the lake by the way of Hitaca, the idea was received
with tremendous enthusiasm. The excursion would be a tour of camp duty,
with an everchanging scene, and with no lack of novelty and excitement.
We voted almost unanimously that the long tramp of seventy miles was
just the thing we wanted.
It would afford us opportunity to display our new uniforms, our
band and drum corps, our drill and marching, to people on the route
who had hardly ever seen a company of soldiers. We should astonish
the Hitacaites with our music and parade, excite the admiration of
the ladies in general, and the young ladies in particular, and make
us all first-class lions. The people would turn out to behold us,
bestow delicate attentions upon us, and entertain us with generous
hospitality. We had all the elements for a splendid parade, including
our stylish uniforms, good music, and well-trained companies.
For two weeks hardly anything was talked about but this tour of
camp duty. Those who received the plan coldly at first, soon became
enthusiastic. Those who growled at the idea of marching twenty miles in
a day were persuaded to believe that our progress would be a continued
triumph, and that it would be accomplished in six or seven hours, so
that there would be plenty of time to rest. The authorities of the
Institute objected to the plan, but as Major Tommy Toppleton favored
it, there was not much to be said against it. His father was compelled
to indorse the march; and, of course, the instructors were obliged to
withdraw all opposition.
Two of the teachers, besides the drill-master, were detailed to
accompany the battalion in carriages, and prevent it from robbing
hen-roosts, or capturing any of the towns on the route. But when
Tommy heard of this little arrangement he was as indignant as though
the professors had given him a thrashing, and interposed his veto.
He would not have any schoolmasters dogging his steps, and spying
into his actions. He hated spies. The battalion was composed of young
gentlemen, and if they were a little fast at times, they knew how to
behave themselves, and did not need any pedagogues to watch them. He
could take care of his force himself. So the instructors were permitted
to spend their vacation in pursuits more congenial to their tastes than
following a multitude of crazy boys, under a crazy leader. Perhaps it
would have been better for Tommy if he had permitted these guardians of
the peace to attend the battalion.
We were all ready to start. The baggage wagons were to fall in behind
the column, and the drivers were on their boxes. Everybody was in high
spirits, and anticipated the greatest time known in the annals of the
Toppleton Institute. Major Tommy, in particular, was in full feather;
for he was the commander of the expedition, and a march of a week
through places which suggested honors and ovations was an event which
was calculated to stimulate his bump of self esteem.
On the preceding Saturday, the stockholders of the Lake Shore Railroad
had held their annual meeting. On the year before, the present
president had actually been defeated on the first ballot, and “your
humble servant” elected in his place. Not caring to endure the constant
browbeating and annoyance to which I should have been subjected had I
taken the office, and because I really believed then that Tommy ought
to have it, I had declined. Then, by a tremendous effort on the part of
the president’s friends, and particularly on the part of Wolf Penniman,
who pleaded for him as though he had been a friend in distress, Tommy
received a bare majority of the votes cast.
I was sorry afterwards that I refused the position, for Tommy always
overbearing and tyrannical, became to such an extent that the fellows
had been on the verge of mutiny for a year. They had waited with
impatience for the return of the annual elections, intending to pitch
him down from his high positions. But Tommy and his father had provided
for this emergency. The former had always nominally held--as, in fact,
the rest of the students owned their stock--a large proportion of the
shares. If a boy left the Institute during the year, his stock was
made over to Tommy, or some of his toadies, for he had a small army
of satellites of this species. The result was that the president was
reëlected by a small majority. Feeling that he was secure in his high
position, he had taken no pains to conciliate those who condemned his
tyranny, and, if possible, he was more unpopular than ever.
The students had become pretty thoroughly disgusted with the management
of the Lake Shore Railroad. Although the business of the company
was still carried on in their name; though the stock was bought,
sold and transferred on the books; though the boys discharged the
duties of their several offices,--they had but little interest in
the corporation. They had no real power. If the superintendent, the
road-master, or the directors did anything, it was by order of Tommy
or his father. But I ought to add, in justice to Major Toppleton, that
there was not a student in the Institute, who had been there a year,
that did not know all about the details of running a rail road, who
was not familiar with stock operations, and who was not prepared to
discharge his duty as an official in a railroad company. As a means of
instruction it was still a good thing; but it had ceased to be a source
of amusement, as it would have been if the president had not ruled so
arbitrarily.
As the railroad president, Tommy was safe for another year. Though
dissatisfied, our fellows had already begun to gather up the stock by
helping out weaker ones in their lessons, or by the purchase of it with
money, peanuts, and cream-cakes. The election of a commanding officer
of the battalion usually came off on the same day as the railroad
meeting; but it had been postponed to the following Tuesday, by what
influence I do not know. Those who accomplished this purpose either
forgot that on this day we should be on the march, or they expected to
derive some advantage from the fact.
Tommy Toppleton declared that he was sure of being elected; and I think
he was sincere in his belief. He had many devoted adherents, who bowed
down to his power and influence; but there were just as many active
opponents, and a great middle class who were not partisans either for
or against him. Electioneering on both sides was carried on with spirit
and energy, and the contest promised to be an exciting one.